Follow Bicycle Retailer

You are here

Bike Cooperative Launches Email Platform

Published March 16, 2009

MANCHESTER, NH (BRAIN)—The Bike Cooperative (TBC) has introduced a new email platform to its membership, allowing dealers to create their own customized emails and send them to their customers at an extremely low cost.

“We are strong proponents of email,” said TBC managing director Greg Brodsky. “And for many of our retailers it is a big part of their overall marketing strategy. Since the majority of our dealers are using email very effectively to communicate with their customers, members asked us to develop an internal solution.”

Added TBC director of marketing Tim Leaver, “We wanted to leverage our size and scale to get better rates than any one dealer could get on their own. Retailers will get the benefit of incredible pricing with no minimum monthly fees. When we researched other major providers, a store with 1,000 email addresses could pay anywhere from $19 - $75 monthly, and in some cases they would be required to pay even if they didn’t send out an email that month. Through our platform, if a member has 1,000 email addresses and they send an email to that list, it will cost them $7.50. If they choose not to send an email that month, they pay nothing. We’ve received very positive response on our pricing structure because it benefits all members regardless of their size. A dealer with less than 100 emails can participate at a rate of just one penny per email, and the rate goes down from there as members’ email lists grow. We’re also pleased that members are finding the platform to be simple to use and provides them with ample customization options, which is also very important.”

In addition to providing the platform for members to send out emails, TBC is also offering content. TBC is creating a small library of cycling-related articles and images that members can choose to use, at no additional charge.

“For many members, saving time is as significant as saving money,” said Brodsky. “So it’s important that we have content readily available for members who may not have the time to create it themselves.”